His Father and He
by Holy Spork
Summary: Oyako dump. Newest: Reckless Driver - Someone like Lloyd should never be allowed to fly a Rheaird.
1. Burnt Toast

Welcome to another one of those dumps for father and son fics. The collection is titled _His Father and He_, because all the good names were taken. (I shouldn't write author's notes when I haven't gotten any sleep...) Basically this thing exists because 1) There's never too much oyako, and 2) I have about a dozen plot bunnies that just won't leave me alone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, its characters, locations, or plot line. Bandai-Namco does. You can tell, because if I owned the game, then Kratos and Lloyd would have hugged.

* * *

I got the idea for this particular fic after reading a book for English class. One of the older characters (who's dead by the time the story actually starts) reminisces in a flashback about how all she remembers about her first daughter is how she loved 'the burnt bottom of bread'. I'll give a hug to anyone who knows what book that was from. 

Anyway, I started thinking about that, being able only to recall some quirk like that about a lost child, and that thought turned into a plot bunny, which turned into this.

Enjoy.

Story Stats:

Title: Burnt Toast.

Genre: Angst (This is probably the first time in the history of fanfiction, that a story has a title with the world 'toast' in it, that's an angst story. Unless there's a 'The Toast of Angst' fic floating around somewhere.)

Summary: Kratos remembered all the little quirks of his lost son... including how Lloyd had loved burnt toast.

* * *

_Burnt Toast_

Lloyd had loved burnt toast.

It was such a small, stupid thing to remember, and yet the memory of that one small trait of his lost son meant more to him then any material possession. The thought kept him company when he was trapped in that terrible darkness that existed only inside his head. The shadows of Anna and Lloyd chased him in his dreams if he dared sleep. Memories of every little moment, every quirk, and every whisper followed him everywhere, no matter where he ran to after that night on the cliff. He could recall in great detail, while trapped in the deepest part of Derris-Kharlan, how Anna had despised cats, couldn't stand the smell of garlic, and was superstitious about the number thirteen. He could recollect the little things of his son just as easily. His first word, the day he first learned to walk.

And how, once the little boy had graduated to solid foods, he had loved his toast slightly burnt.

After that terrible night on the cliff, when all that he had loved in this world had been stolen from him, he was sure that those old memories would be the only things he could ever love ever again. He wouldn't be able to look at a cat without remembering how his wife would shriek with anger at the sight of one. At the smell of burnt toast he would hear his son's little giggle inside his head. While he had been with them, his withered heart had started to beat again, and started to swell with happiness with his newfound family. When they had been taken away, his heart had grown sick and died.

He felt nothing.

Nothing in fourteen years.

But now, after fourteen years of numb existence, Kratos Aurion thought he could feel his dead soul slowly coming back to life.

The latest Chosen of Regeneration in Sylvarant, a young girl named Colette, was about to start her journey. Yggdrasill had assigned Kratos to watch over her as she completed her journey. She was the most promising Chosen in years, and he could not allow her to die prematurely. Kratos had accepted this task in the hope that, maybe this time, Martel would be resurrected and the world saved. It was supposed to be a simple mission.

But then that boy, Lloyd, had appeared, and Kratos had feared that his world would come crashing down.

The boy was about the right age. By his home there was a grave where his mother, a woman named Anna, was buried. She had died after being pursued by Desians. Kratos had listened to the boy explain, as a heavy lead weight seemed to form in Kratos' chest. This couldn't simply be a mundane coincidence.

This boy… was his son.

Kratos had done all he could to keep Lloyd from joining Colette on her journey, which would inevitably end in her death. He wanted no harm to come to his son, even if that meant never seeing the boy again. However, fate seemed to have something else in store for him. Lloyd had, after a long chain of events, ended up a part of the journey anyway. Kratos had rediscovered his son… only to lead him to his death.

Such irony.

Kratos' mind wandered away from his bleak future, back into the present. The party was currently camped at the edge of the Triet Desert. Night was beginning to fall, and the Chosen had decided that they should set up camp here for the night. They would reach Ossa Trail in the morning.

Dinner was being prepared. Raine had been forbidden from touching any cooking implement or ingredient. Genis, Lloyd, and Colette, were starting to build a fire made from driftwood they had collected after a lengthy search near shoreline, which was only a mile away. Genis and Lloyd argued over how to correctly arrange the wood, while Colette tried to pacify them both. Kratos, who was sitting at the edge of the camp alone, looked away, slightly amused by their antics. They could almost be a family out camping, rather than a ragtag group trying to save the world.

"What should we have for dinner tonight?" asked Colette, once Genis and Lloyd had stopped fighting.

Genis shrugged, "What do we have?"

Lloyd rummaged in a sack containing their pooled food supplies. "Let's see… uh, some lettuce, ugh, a tomato, bread, I think this is cheese, some ham…"

Genis' face fell, "That's not really much, is it?"

"We should be grateful that we have food at all!" piped up Colette, "If we have bread, we could always have sandwiches!"

Lloyd grinned, "That works for me!" The boy started pulling out the bread he had uncovered. Using a knife, he cut it into slices for the soon-to-be sandwiches. Then Kratos bore witness to a curious act. Lloyd picked up a stick that he had apparently been saving for this particular purpose, took a slice of bread, skewered it on the end of the stick, and then held the bread over the campfire, as if he was trying to roast a marshmallow. No one else seemed to think there was anything odd about this.

Kratos watched Lloyd try to roast his bread, his eyebrows raised. Lloyd eventually noticed that Kratos was staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"I am merely curious," started Kratos, "As to why you are doing that."

"Doing what? Oh," Lloyd waved the stick, "You mean this?" He shrugged, "I just… like my toast a little bit burnt. I figured if I'm going to have a sandwich, then I should do it right!"

"I… see…"

Kratos looked away.

So… this boy liked his toast burnt.

It had been such a small, stupid thing to remember about his lost son. But that one little memory meant more than the world to him.

Because that memory, almost as much as Anna's grave, told him that he had found his son at last.


	2. Hug, Part 1

...I should update something else.

Stupid plot bunnies.

This thing takes place during the void between Origin's Seal and the final storming of Derris-Kharlan. Kratos is with the party, but so is Zelos, because I Say So.

This might turn into a two-parter, in other words, I might write a follow-up. Dunno what I would put in a follow-up yet though...

Remember, reviews always make me a very happy spork.

Onwards!

Story Stats:

Title: Hug

Genre: Humor

Summary: Zelos and the others try to get Lloyd to give his father a long overdue hug.

* * *

_Hug_

Colette and Genis were deep in discussion.

"Lloyd won't even call him Dad!"

"He did just find out. He's probably just not comfortable with it yet."

"But it's so sad!"

"Kratos did betray us."

"But he helped us too!"

"Colette, Lloyd just needs some time."

"But Lloyd comes so close! And Kratos looks so sad whenever Lloyd doesn't call him 'Dad'."

"What's up?"

The two childhood friends turned to see Sheena walking up to them.

"We were talking about Lloyd and Kratos," explained Colette.

"You know how Lloyd won't even acknowledge Kratos as his father?" said Genis.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Sheena admitted, "What about it?"

"I think we should talk to Lloyd about it!" said Colette, a determined look on her face, "Kratos is a good dad! He looked after his son even when it meant betraying Mithos! I think Lloyd should try giving Kratos a second chance!"

"...But Kratos isn't really the fatherly type, is he?" said Sheena.

"They just need to communicate more!" insisted Colette, "I'm sure they can work it out!"

Sheena seemed to consider this, "I dunno," she said with a shrug, "They just seem so distant... it's not even like they really act like they're related at all."

"Hey, my voluptuous hunny!" purred a voice, "What's going on?"

Sheena automatically spun on her heel and slapped the person who had been standing behind her. "SHUT IT ZELOS!" she screeched.

"Owchies..." said Zelos pitifully, "That was very mean..."

Sheena rolled her eyes, "You'll be just fine."

"What_ were_ you guys talkin' about before the demonic – I mean, before Sheena hit me?"

Sheena and Genis exchanged glances. Should they involve someone like Zelos in something like this? But before they could make up their minds, Colette spoke up.

"We were talking about Kratos and Lloyd," she said, "And how they don't really get along like father and son."

Zelos seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "You got a point there," he said, "So, I guess you guys wanted to talk to Lloyd about it? Try to get him and the old man to act like they're actually related after all?"

"Something like that..." conceded Genis.

Zelos turned around. "HEY LLOYD!" he shouted, "Come over here! We gotta talk to you for a minute!"

Lloyd, who had been scratching Noishe behind the ears, looked up when he heard his name. He stood up (Noishe whining in an annoyed tone) and walked over to his friends.

Lloyd felt nervous under the collective gaze of his friends. They were staring at him kind of funny, "What is it?" he asked, a little apprehensively.

"You know how you and your old man don't really act like father and son?" piped up Zelos, blunt and to the point as ever.

Lloyd looked uncomfortable at the mention of Kratos. "Dirk's always been my dad. I'm just not... used to _Kratos_ of all people being my dad too."

"You two need to hurry up with the bonding," said Zelos, "Who knows when you'll get another chance?"

"You make it sound like he's going to leave or something," said Lloyd.

"But that's the thing, isn't it?" persisted Zelos, "What if he dies when we head off to fight Mithos? You're lucky, you know that? Not everyone has a dad who'd lay down his life for his kid."

Lloyd looked down at his feet, as if ashamed. Then he looked back up at Zelos, "I thought you hated Kratos?"

"I do," said Zelos cheerfully and with a wide grin, "He's a bastard, but he's my Bud's daddy too."

"D-don't call me that!" said Lloyd hotly, blushing a little at the nickname 'Bud'.

"We all think that you should at least try giving Kratos a second chance," said Colette, "Please Lloyd. He's a good person."

Lloyd kicked an innocent rock, "But he betrayed us..."

"But he helped us too," said Sheena, "C'mon. At least call him 'Dad'."

"But – " Lloyd started weakly.

"I think," said Zelos, hatching a wonderfully evil plan, "You should go and give your old man a long overdue hug!"

Lloyd blanched. "W-what?!"

"That would be cute!" said Colette.

Genis and Sheena paled a little too.

"Er..." started Genis uncertainly, "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea..."

Zelos looked down at Genis. "What makes you say that twerp?"

Genis glared at the Chosen. "Stop calling me 'twerp'!"

Sheena decided to take up the cause for her angered comrade, "It's just that... Kratos isn't exactly... huggable. Maybe something else would be a better idea."

Zelos turned the the rest of the small group, and demanded, "Well? Does anyone have a better idea? How should we get these two to move on with the bonding?"

"H-hey!" said Lloyd resentfully, "I can work it out just fine!"

No one listened to him.

"No one?" said Zelos to the rest of the crew, "No ideas? Okay then," Zelos turned to smirk at Lloyd, "It's settled then. Go and give your old man a hug."

"W-what?!" Lloyd looked terrified.

"Go on, hug him," said Zelos, giving Lloyd a hard shove, "If you haven't noticed, Kratos is still sitting over there, all by his lonesome."

Kratos was, in fact, sitting on the grass several feet away. It was unclear if he could hear them or not. Only a couple of yards away from him Presea, Regal, and Raine all seemed to be deep in discussion.

"But..." Lloyd started weakly, "Not in front of the Professor... or Regal... or Presea..."

"Suck it up Bud," Zelos gave Lloyd another shove in Kratos' general direction.

Lloyd gave Zelos a look that is generally worn by someone who is told to walk the plank. Realizing that none of his other 'friends' were going to support him, Lloyd took a deep breath, and walked over to Kratos.

The older swordsman looked up at Lloyd. Kratos didn't say a word.

"Hey... D – Kratos..." said Lloyd awkwardly.

The seraph stood up and looked down at his son, an eyebrow raised. "Is something the matter Lloyd?"

Lloyd fidgeted. He could almost feel the stares of his friends boring into his back. They were waiting. If he retreated now he would never hear the end of it.

Lloyd took a deep breath, and hugged his father. It was one of the most awkward hugs in the History of All Hugs. Lloyd had tried to hug Kratos without actually touching the older man, something that he discovered, to his slight displeasure, was physically impossible. Then as suddenly and awkwardly as it started, Lloyd let go, blushing furiously. His face was red as a tomato.

Kratos seemed a little uncomfortable with the sudden display of affection. A hug had been the last thing he had expected when Lloyd had approached him. He wasn't quite sure what should come next.

Presea, Regal, and Raine stared at the pair of them, surprise evident on their faces.

No one said or did anything for a very long time.

Then Zelos nearly died laughing.


	3. Hug, Part 2

Special Note: I usually don't take requests are a rule, because I want what I write to be my idea. But because this is a dump, for this I'll take requests. So go ahead, throw any ideas you have at me. If I like them, or I can't peel them off, I'll use them. I'll even give credit to whoever suggested it. But my own ideas get priority, and if you suggest something that I'm already working on... tough cookies.

* * *

This is _Hug_, part deux. This is basically a combination of what **Kitty-Katz-Katz** and **Arisu Tsuranu** suggested. This takes place one day after the first part. 

Onwards! Again!

Story Stats:

Title: Hug

Genre: Humor

Summary: Zelos and the others try to get Kratos to give his son a long overdue hug.

* * *

_Hug_

The group of four sat in a tight circle. There was an air of nervousness around them.

"...You go first."

"No way!"

"Okay then... how about Colette?"

"M-maybe not..."

"I say we vote."

"But there's only four of us."

"No one's volunteering."

"I saw we use the twerp as a sacrificial lamb. If he doesn't die, then it's safe to approach."

"Hey!"

"That's not very nice!"

"I'm sorry my hunny, do you like sensitive men?"

_SMACK!_

"Ow..."

"SHUT UP ZELOS!"

Zelos gingerly touched his wounded face.

"That still leaves us with the problem of who's going to go talk to Kratos," pointed out Genis.

They turned to see Kratos standing several yards away. He was staring vacantly into the distance, thinking Kratos thoughts.

"What do you think he's thinking about...?" asked Genis of the universe in general.

Zelos shrugged, "I suppose it could be anything," he commented, "He could be thinking about Lloyd, or Noishe, or Anna, or tomatoes, or lemons, or sword fighting, or Cruxis, or Mithos, or – "

"We get the point," interrupted Sheena, "He could be thinking about a lot of things."

There was a pause.

"So..." ventured Colette, "Should we all go up at the same time?"

Somewhere a bee buzzed, because crickets are cliché.

"...He's kinda scary though..." said Genis, voicing the reason why no one wanted to approach the man.

The bee buzzed some more.

"...Okay, how about we all just bite the arrow, and walk up there right now?" said Zelos bravely.

Buzz.

"...How about now?" Zelos prompted.

Buzzy.

"Or _now_?"

Buzzity-buzz-buzz.

"...Now?"

That damn bee just won't stop buzzing...

"That's it!"

Zelos stood up, dragged everyone else up onto their feet, and started pushing them in the seraph's general direction. The others quickly noticed that Zelos was conveniently shielded behind his three 'friends'.

"H-hey!" protested Sheena, "Stop it Zelos!"

Kratos heard the noise the unfortunate group produced. He turned to see them staring at him. They were apparently unable to retreat or move any closer.

"...Is something the matter?" he asked.

Colette, who was feeling particularly brave, stepped forward, "We wanted to talk to you about something."

Kratos raised in inquiring eyebrow, "What about?"

"About Lloyd," said Colette.

"Does this have anything to do with yesterday's indecent?" asked the swordsman.

"Kinda," conceded Zelos. Kratos glared at him.

"Do you really want me to carry out my threat?" said Kratos, with just a hint of a growl in his voice, "Because if you _do_ mock my son again, I _will – _"

"Look," interrupted the Chosen, trying not to think of what life would be like if Kratos carried out his threat, "Your son had the guts to give you a hug, so we think that, as his father, you should be able to hug him back."

"I do not think that Lloyd would be comfortable with such a... display of affection," said Kratos. He seemed uncomfortable with this particular topic.

"Aw, c'mon!" said Zelos, "You know you wanna."

Kratos remained impassive.

"...Maybe just a quick hug?" suggested Sheena.

"Lloyd will not even acknowledge any connection with me," said Kratos, sounding almost nearly possibly slightly dejected, "Why would he want any such contact?"

"This is why you two aren't going anywhere," said Zelos, "You two keep each other at arms length, and look the other way. What if Lloyd dies when we go to fight Mithos? Who knows when your next chance is going to come along."

Kratos said nothing, but he seemed to be thinking about Zelos' words.

"Lloyd's right over there," Zelos pointed to where Lloyd was sitting, talking with Presea, "Whenever you're ready."

Kratos looked over at his son. It was impossible to tell what the seraph was thinking.

"At least tell him you love him!" said Colette.

Kratos seemed _really_ uncomfortable with this suggestion, "I wouldn't want him to misinterpret – "

"I think he knows you aren't like that," said Zelos dismissively, "And if he does take it that way, then he's an idiot. Go and hug him already."

"I don't think – "

"That's a start!" interrupted Zelos, trying to give Kratos a shove in Lloyd's direction, "You already think too much. So go and _hug_ your kid already!"

Zelos found that shoving Kratos was not nearly as easy as it had been to shove Lloyd. Kratos glared down at the Chosen, who instantly scampered away in fear. Kratos looked back at Lloyd, and came to a decision. He just hoped that he wouldn't end up regretting it.

He walked over to his son, mentally preparing himself.

"...Lloyd..."

Lloyd looked up. "Is something the matter?"

Kratos looked uncomfortable. Lloyd stood up. Then he noticed Zelos and the others huddled together a safe distance away.

"Were you just talking to Zelos and the others?" Lloyd asked.

"That is irrelevant," said Kratos, trying to avoid the topic.

"Were they talking to you about yesterday?" asked Lloyd.

"...Yes," admitted Kratos after a pause.

Lloyd blushed. "Oh... uh... well... you know..." Lloyd petered off, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"...Lloyd..." Kratos took a deep breath.

He hugged his son.

Lloyd's immediate reaction was an undignified squeak of terror. Kratos didn't seem to hear him. His hug was almost as awkward as Lloyd's. He seemed unsure of exactly how to hug someone.

Lloyd could feel Kratos' chest rise and fall with his breath. Lloyd felt... strangely secure, like he didn't have to be afraid of anything anymore. Almost without thinking, Lloyd snuggled closer and hugged Kratos back. It was as if he was three years old again, seeking comfort in his father. Lloyd realized that, for the first time, he had actually thought of Kratos as his father, and not as something else.

_Dad_...

"Aww..." aw'd Colette and Sheena at the sight of the two hugging.

Then Zelos nearly died laughing.

Kratos and Lloyd quickly broke apart, blushing a little. Lloyd looked up at his father, "Wanna get him, D – Kratos? I mean..." Lloyd took at deep breath, "Wanna get him, Dad?"

Kratos almost gave himself whiplash looking back down at his son. "Did you just...?"

Lloyd shrugged, "Is something wrong?"

Kratos blinked, as if in amazement. And then he smiled a rare, genuine smile that no one there had ever seen the likes of before.

"No," said Kratos, still smiling, "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

Zelos stopped laughing when he saw the two swordsmen draw their weapons.

"Uh oh..."

Three hours later, it took Sheena, Raine, Presea, Colette, and a bribe of food to get Zelos down from the tree he had climbed up.


	4. Island of Souls

This is a total 180 from the last two fics. This is a tragedy, and it's much longer than the 1,200 word ficlets that proceeded it.

This is a songfic based on the song 'Island of Souls' by Sting. Once, when I was listening to the song, it occurred to me just how freakishly similar Billy's and Lloyd's stories are, at least in a metaphorical sense, and at least in relation to their fathers. I saw a lot of parallels, again, metaphorical parallels, and then I knew I just _had_ to write a fic about it.

And that, children, is why you should never feed the English student, because she'll analyze the crap out of anything you give her... even when she doesn't try to.

Note: Though this story uses mostly game dialogue, I've changed it, and in one place, the song lyrics, to suit my needs. So... yeah.

Fun Fact: I got the title for this dump from this song. If you couldn't tell, I love this song, even though it's really, really sad.

Disclaimer: 'Island of Souls' and its lyrics belong to Sting, and not me. I can't rhyme.

Remember, if anyone has any requests or ideas, post 'em, and maybe I'll write something with them.

Here we go!

Story Stats:

Title: Island of Souls

Genre: Tragedy

Summary: A songfic based on the song 'Island of Souls'. Follows Kratos and Lloyd through the game.

* * *

_Island of Souls_

_Billy was born within sight of the shipyard,_

_First son of a riveter's son._

_And Billy was raised as the ship grew a shadow,_

_Her great hull would blot out the light of the sun…_

Lloyd glared at the nameless man. He didn't have to come barging in! Lloyd was sure he, Genis, and Colette would've _eventually_ beat that Vidarr guy. Okay, maybe not… damn.

The nameless man gave the children a cold, appraising look. He didn't seem overly impressed by what he saw.

Phaidra, Colette's aged grandmother, approached the nameless man. She nodded to him, "How can I ever thank you for saving the Chosen?" she asked.

The nameless man save Colette an appraising look. Nothing in his face or voice revealed his opinion of her. "I see…" he said, "So this girl is the next Chosen."

Lloyd glared resentfully at the nameless man. Of _course_ Colette was the Chosen! Colette gasped when she remembered what she had come here to do. "That's right!" she chirped, "I have to go accept the oracle!" She turned to Phaidra and nodded to her. "Grandmother," she started respectfully, "I'm going to undergo the trial now!"

"And I'll take on the job of protecting Colette!" said Lloyd enthusiastically, before anyone else could speak. Genis, who was standing behind Lloyd, shook his head. The little mage knew his friend's enthusiasm was destined not to last.

Phaidra frowned at Lloyd. She looked uncomfortable. "Lloyd? I would be uneasy with just you."

For the first time since he had appeared, there was a brief trace of human emotion in the nameless man's eyes. "Your name is Lloyd?"

_And six days a week he would watch his poor father,_

_A working man live like a slave._

_He'd drink every night and he'd dream of a future,_

_Of money he never would save._

_And Billy would cry when he thought of the future…_

Inside Derris-Kharlan, there was a room. There was nothing inside of it, not even a lighting fixture of any kind. The walls were made of layered steel and polycarbonate, and were thick enough to withstand a blast of any kind. It was always dark, and always perfectly silent. A perfect place to put a raving madman who was totally bent on his own destruction. Or so Mithos thought.

Kratos didn't know how long he had spent in that room after he had lost his family, and he had no desire to know. He didn't remember much from that period anyway, something he was actually grateful for. He didn't want to know how long he spent crying, praying, whispering, talking, screaming into the darkness.

When he was finally allowed outside that room, he was just as alive as the other, lesser angels. His only purpose was to serve Cruxis. If he could do something to help save the world, then the cost to himself or others didn't matter.

Then Yggdrasil had summoned him, charged him with protecting the next Chosen. It gave him a chance to leave Derris-Kharlan, at least for a short while. It was supposed to be a simply mission.

And then he met that boy...

The boy had the same name.

There was a gravestone marking where Lloyd's mother had been buried. She had been chased by Desians. Her name had been Anna.

Lloyd had to be his son.

Kratos had wanted to curl up and die when he found out. Just when he wasn't free to have a family, he had to rediscover it. If the boy followed him and the Chosen, Kratos would have to kill him. He had spent so much time mourning, spent so much time broken, he had been certain that he would never feel anything every again. He had been certain that nothing could cause him pain anymore.

He couldn't bleed because he had already bled to death.

And now, by some perverse miracle, he was reunited with his son.

What could he possibly do now? He didn't know if he could choose between saving the world, and saving his child…

_Soon came a day when the bottle was broken_

_They launched a great ship out to sea._

_He felt he'd been left on a desolate shore_

_To a future he desperately wanted to flee._

_What else was there for a ship builder's son?_

_A new ship to be built, new work to be done…_

"Kratos?" asked Lloyd, a little nervous about asking the anti-social mercenary a question that he probably would think obvious.

Kratos looked down at Lloyd. "Yes?"

"What do mercenaries do?"

"We are hired soldiers," said Kratos automatically, "Sometimes I am a bodyguard, like I am now. Well, more so recently since there hasn't been a war in a long time. But I've heard rumors of rising tension in Palmacosta."

Lloyd nodded a little. "I see. How much money do you usually get?"

"It depends on the job," said Kratos, "For this one, I received a sizeable sum from Phaidra."

"So, how much?"

"Why do you want to know do badly?"

"I want to know if it pays more than being a dwarven blacksmith."

_The irony_… "Who knows?" said Kratos, "I am hired for my skills. Dwarfs are hired for their skills. There is not much meaning in who is paid more."

Lloyd took a moment to consider this. "That's true."

A thought struck Kratos. "You're not thinking about becoming a mercenary, are you?"

"No way!" said Lloyd, looking offended, "I'm going to study with Dad and improve my skills. And someday, I'm going to build my own boat and travel around the world!"

"Good," said Kratos, closing his eyes, "That is a good dream."

"Isn't it?" said Lloyd, feeling a little proud of himself, "Well, to do that, the world needs to be at peace." When Kratos didn't respond to this statement, Lloyd continued, "But if the world is at peace, mercenaries are out of jobs, right? Then, you can come on the boat that I built."

Kratos smiled a little, but quickly turned to hide it from his son. "I'll think about it."

_One day, he dreamed of a ship in the world,_

_That would carry his father and he,_

_To a place they would never be found._

_To a place far away from this town…_

No matter how much he screamed her name, Colette ignored him. Her pink wings beat in a perfect unbroken rhythm. Her empty red eyes stared out into space, blind to her old friends.

"Colette," chocked out Lloyd, "...Have you really forgotten me?"

"You're wasting your time," said a voice, "Not only did she lose her memory, but she has lost the soul to listen to your words. Now Colette is merely a puppet standing before death's door."

The others spotted Kratos walking up to Colette, his arms crossed, his face giving away nothing.

"Where have you been?!" shouted Lloyd angrily at the mercenary, "What are you saying?!"

Kratos frowned at the boy, "The Chosen desired the regeneration of the world and chose this path herself," he said calmly, "By the summoning of the Chosen to Derris-Kharlan, she seal will be broken and the regeneration will be completely."

Lloyd couldn't believe his ears. Why was Kratos talking like this? "Kratos? …What are you talking about?" he demanded of the older man.

"It is what you wanted as well," continued Kratos, apparently deaf to Lloyd's demands, "We will take the Chosen as the new body for Martel."

_'We'_..."What are you talking about?!" Lloyd shouted, praying that his rising suspicions were totally groundless, that this wasn't really happening... "Kratos… answer me!"

Kratos looked down at the others, his face, voice, and eyes betraying nothing, "Move out of the way," he said, his voice commanding absolute obedience.

"Kratos…" Lloyd started, almost in shock, "...Who are you?"

Kratos didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes. A blue light gathered around his body, and the others watched as a pair of shining blue wings spread out from his back. Kratos opened his eyes to stared down at his former companions.

"…I am of Cruxis, the organization that guides this world. I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch over the Chosen."

_Trapped in the cage of the skeleton ship,_

_All the workmen suspended like flies._

_Caught in the flare of acetylene light,_

_A working man works till the industry dies._

_And Billy would cry when he thought of the future…_

Lloyd was frustrated, confused, and angry. He didn't understand why Kratos had betrayed them!

That wasn't strictly true. He knew _why_. The bastard was with Cruxis. They wanted to take Colette and turn her into a soulless vessel so Martel could be revived. That was all he cared about. Lloyd hated the man's guts for trying to kill Colette.

…But if Kratos knew that Lloyd and the others were supposed to die at the Tower of Salvation… then why did he bother telling Lloyd "don't die"? Why train him to become a better swordsman, when Lloyd was going to die soon anyway? Why did the man seem to care, but not care at all? Why couldn't he just make up his damn mind whose side he was on!

Kratos' betrayal stung Lloyd more than he felt it should have. He knew he should hate the man outright for trying to kill Colette. But he didn't, and he didn't know why. However, he realized, that wasn't strictly true either. Kratos had been like an older brother to Lloyd, a brother he never had. He had looked up to and trusted the older man. For things to have turned out like this... it wasn't fair. How could someone he had trusted really have turned around and betrayed him?

But had he really done even that? Now the angel seemed to be following them, dropping cryptic hints whenever convenient. He seemed to be helping them, but without trying to look like he was helping them. Why? Was it because Ygg-what's-his-face was watching? Was he trying to help them or not? Whose side was he on? Was he supposed to be a good guy or a bad guy?

Kratos was a perfect enigma to Lloyd. He was sure he would never understand Kratos, or his motives…

_Then what they call an industrial accident,_

_Crushed those it couldn't forgive…_

Lloyd ran outside Altessa's house without hesitation – if Yuan had done anything to his father, he would _kill_ the half-elf! Right then Lloyd didn't care how Yuan had found him, just the fact that Yuan might have done something to Lloyd's father was enough. He would tear him, and all his lackeys apart if that was what it took!

The door slammed open as Lloyd sped through it, and he shouted at the Renegades gathered outside, ignoring the possible consequences, "What have you done with my Dad?!"

A Renegade, who had been standing right near the doorway, unsheathed his weapon and aimed it right at Lloyd's throat. The boy stood perfectly still, if he even tried to reach for his own swords he was sure the Renegade would kill him. Lloyd looked back at the Renegades. He saw Yuan, who looked smug, and standing next to him was –

"Kratos!" shouted Lloyd, almost as an accusation, "The Renegades and Cruxis are enemies aren't they?! So why…?"

"Quiet," ordered Yuan, then he added, with a sly grin on his face, "Of course, the drug should have everyone sleeping soundly."

Lloyd blinked. "Drug?! …Where's my Dad? If you've done anything to my Dad, I'll tear every last one of you to pieces!"

Yuan smiled condescendingly, "Now, now," he chastised, "Is that the way to act when you're about to meet your father for the first time?" Then his smiled vanished as he turned to face Kratos, who was still emotionless, his arms crossed.

"Kratos," Yuan started, "If you value your son's life at all, do as we say."

Lloyd could only stare, as something seemed to borrow itself into his chest. No... he couldn't have heard Yuan right... "What are you… talking about?"

Yuan blatantly ignoring, continuing to address Kraots, "Release Origin's seal. Otherwise Lloyd will die right here."

Lloyd's thought were in turmoil. He was sure that he had heard Yuan correctly, but that mean... "No…" Lloyd said. All the Renegades and Kratos turned to look at him. Lloyd started to shake a little when he looked at Kratos. He couldn't be... he couldn't have anything to do with that man! Kratos betrayed them, tried to kill Colette! There was no way he could be – "Kratos can't be my Dad. I c… I can't believe that… I won't believe that!"

Kratos didn't move, or say anything. But Yuan, who had known the other seraph for millenia, had learned to read subtle sights. He knew that Lloyd's words had upset him, by the way his fingers dug into his arms.

The half-elf smirked at his former companion, "How does it feel to have your own son reject you like that?" he taunted.

Kratos made a 'hmph' sound, and turned away.

Yuan frowned. "…I'd guess from your attitude, you don't plan on releasing Origin… if that's the way it's going to be," Yuan turned to Lloyd "Then you'll just have to die!"

Lloyd tried not to breath at the soldier next to him drew his sword just a little too close to Lloyd's neck. Kratos looked startled, but he remained still.

"One move, and your son dies!" yelled the soldier that had Lloyd at sword point.

Yuan returned his attention to Kratos, who glared at the half-elf. "You changed once you got a family," started Yuan, a smug smirk on his face, "Just like that time fifteen years ago. When Anna transformed into a monster, you lost your ability to fight back."

Lloyd blinked. "…What?"

"If she hadn't been together with you, she would never have turned out like that," taunted Yuan. Then he added, with a wide, malicious grin, "Such an unfortunate woman."

"Don't mock my Mom!"

Lloyd ducked under the Renegade's sword, drew his own weapons and charged blindly at Yuan. The angel easily dodged Lloyd's wild attack. A small ball of electricity formed in Yuan's right hand, which he threw at Lloyd.

Lloyd only saw it out of the corner of his eye, and new he couldn't get out the way in time –

"Ugh!"

Lloyd's mouth hung open, his mind completely frozen. His mind couldn't believe what his eyes had just seen. "…Kratos?"

Kratos looked down at Lloyd, who was staring at him in wide-eyed horror. Kratos could already feel his consciousness slowly slipping away...

"…Are you all right?"

Lloyd nodded once, wordlessly.

Kratos closed his eyes.

"…Good."

…_They brought Billy's father back home in an ambulance,_

_A brass watch, a check, maybe three weeks to live…_

Kratos was on his knees, struggling to breathe. Lloyd, no his son had fought well. Better than he could have ever hoped for.

"You've… grown strong."

Lloyd looked down at the wounded man. Had he hurt Kratos too badly? "…Thanks to you," Lloyd said, thinking of all the times Kratos had trained him, taught him how to fight, how to cure Colette's disease, how he had saved Lloyd...

Kratos closed and waited for the last blow. When no such blow came, he opened his eyes and looked up at Lloyd, almost expectantly, almost pleadingly..."Aren't you… going to finish me?"

Lloyd shook his head. "I defeated Kratos, the angel, the one who betrayed us. And I forgive Kratos, the hero of the Ancient War, who helped us. That's all."

Kratos looked away from his son, how could he still think like that? A few words can't change the world. Not all stories had happy endings, hadn't Lloyd learned that yet? "…And I thought I'd finally earned the right to die." Kratos said, his voice almost pained, "But you're as softhearted as ever."

With a grunt, Kratos got shakily to his feet. He turned to face the stone monolith in the middle of the forest clearing, placing a hand on the cold stone. Lloyd felt his breath catch in his throat as he realized what his father was going to do.

"H…hold on! You can't be… are you going to break the seal?"

Kratos looked over his shoulder at Lloyd. The angel's eyes were empty, as if he was already dead.

"…That is what you desire, is it not?"

…_And what else was there for a riveter's son?_

_A new ship to be built, new work to be done…_

"Are you really going to Derris-Kharlan?"

Kratos stared sadly at his son, and then nodded his head. "If a half-elf of Cruxis remains here, the other half-elves will have no place to live. As a surviving member of Cruxis, I must bear the responsibility for what has happened."

Lloyd bit his lip. Did it really have to end this way…? "I'm going to collect all the Exspheres remaining in this land." He declared. He had been planning this journey for a very long time. He had been hoping that maybe his father would stay on Aselia, and travel with him. It seemed that was not to be so.

"And I will discard all of Cruxis' Exspheres into space." Kratos promised. He hung his head, and then said, very quietly, "I've dragged you into this until the very end."

Lloyd shook his head. "It's okay," he said reassuringly.

Kratos looked up at the sky, which had turned purple when the great mass of Derris-Kharlan was exposed. He closed his eyes. "It's time for me to go," he whispered. Whether it was to Lloyd, to himself, or to the whole world, it was impossible to tell. Kratos opened his eyes and looked back down at Lloyd. "Please use that Sword to send me to Derris-Kharlan." _Please let me go... There's no place in your life for me. You've grown up without me. You already have a father who loves you dearly. Dirk deserves your love far more than I..._

Lloyd swallowed, he didn't want Kratos to leave... but if this was the road Kratos felt he needed to go down... Lloyd wouldn't argue. If Kratos felt that there was someplace he needed to be, Lloyd wouldn't try to keep him where he didn't belong. _But I don't want you to go... after all this time... just when the world if finally at peace, I don't want you to go away forever..._

Lloyd summoned the Eternal Sword. As he looked up at the great purple monolith hanging above him, he wished that he and Kratos could sail away on that boat, just like Lloyd had suggested all those eternities ago. A chance just for the two of them to catch up on all the time that had been stolen from them.

The son looked back at his father. Lloyd knew that this would be his last chance to say anything to Kratos. Lloyd opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. After struggling with himself for a moment, he finally said one last thing:

"Goodbye… Dad!"

Kratos remained silent, but something in his eyes told Lloyd that his words meant more than anything else in the world. Lloyd commanded the Eternal Sword to send Kratos to Derris-Kharlan. Just as Kratos started to fade away from sight, he too, said one last thing to the last of his family:

"Don't die before I do, Lloyd… my son!"

...And then he was gone forever.

Lloyd didn't know how long he stayed there, in the ruins of the Tower of Salvation, staring at the sky as Derris-Kharlan drifted farther and farther away. He didn't know how long it took until he could no longer see the comet. He didn't know how long he stood there afterwards. Whether he was waiting for someone to call him away, or maybe, he was somehow expecting Derris-Kharlan to come back.

Then the sun set, and the stars started appearing in the sky, Lloyd wondered if maybe Derris-Kharlan was one of those stars, if his father was one of those stars. He turned away from the sky and walked away. He carried inside him a little piece of hope, that maybe, one day, Kratos could come home. Somehow.

But somewhere deep inside a lonely little corner of his mind, he knew he would never see his father again.

_That night, he dreamed of a ship on the sea,_

_That would carry his father and he,_

_To a place they could never be found,_

_To a place far away from this town._

_A Newcastle ship without coals,_

_And they'll sail to the island of souls._


	5. Half You

Guys, my plot bunnies are dying off! So if you have any ideas/requests, please post them! I'M DESPERATE!

This oneshot is based off an actual argument a friend of mine had with his dad. It sounded so Lloyd-like I just had to use it. It's really short. Not much to say really...

This ficlet takes place in the same void as _Hug_, but is not continuous with it.

Have fun.

Story Status:

Title: Half You

Genre: Humor

Summary: Kratos criticizes Lloyd's swordsmanship one too many times. Lloyd snaps.

* * *

_Half You_

Lloyd had thought that by this point he would have earned some respect, some space, a chance to revel in his accomplishments without someone coming along to burst his bubble. He had fought monsters, Desians, angels, Summon Spirits... and he had defeated them all. He had even won fighting against his own father! Lloyd had thought that by now he didn't need to be corrected.

"Your right side was unguarded."

...Or not.

"There was nothing wrong with it!" said Lloyd hotly, "I didn't get hit, so I should be fine!"

Kratos frowned. "This is Derris-Kharlan, not the woods at Iselia," he said severely, "You cannot let even the smallest error go uncorrected."

Even after Lloyd had defeated him in Torrent Forest, Kratos was still correcting Lloyd's sword technique. It was... irritating.

"I'll be fine!" Lloyd retorted.

"Lloyd, you should listen to him," said Raine, almost disapprovingly, "Kratos has the benefit of experience."

"But..." Lloyd started weakly.

"One can never stop perfecting ones technique," said Kratos, in a very Kratos-y manner.

Something in Lloyd snapped.

"Stop criticizing me all the time!" he shouted, "I am half you after all!"

A stunned silence followed this. Everyone, including Kratos, seemed surprised by Lloyd's outburst.

"Uh..." Lloyd started to go red at the attention he was getting, "What I mean is... when the Professor taught us about biology and genetics and stuff, she said that kids get half their genes from each parent, so... I'm... kinda... half... you..." he trailed off, realizing that his logic would not last under the scrutiny of his friends.

Everyone else looked at Kratos, Lloyd, and back, and tried to picture Lloyd as actually being half Kratos.

...It was a very strange image that came to mind.


	6. Reckless Driver

**Important Edit:** I forgot to mention that I'm looking for a beta reader for this dump. If there's anyone interesting in beta reading any junk I come up for this, please send me a PM.

Inspired by an idea from **Arisu Tsuranu**.

It's not... the best thing I've ever written, but my inspiration has pretty much died. I really just wanted to get something up so I could feel productive. Even if it is another short thing.

Whee!

Story Status:

Title: Reckless Driver

Genre: Humor

Summary: Someone like Lloyd should never be allowed to fly a Rheaird.

* * *

_Reckless Driver_

"WHEEE!"

Lloyd zoomed through the sky on his Rheaird. Flying was fun! Really fun!

"Lloyd, get back here!" shouted Raine, the responsible adult.

As they had just made a pact with Volt, and had re-stolen the Rheairds from the Renegades, they could now use the Rheairds whenever they wanted, much to Lloyd's joy.

"Lloyd, be careful," advised Regal, the second responsible adult, from his own Rheaird, "If you are not careful, your Rheaird could go out of control."

Lloyd, being Lloyd, didn't listen. Instead, he shouted a default, "I'll be fine!"

This statement was no longer true five minutes later. Lloyd had wanted to try to do a mid-air flip with his Rheaird. To show off. He managed to get the vehicle upside down, but then it jerked violently, and started to fall.

He was losing altitude very, very fast.

He yelped in surprise and terror, and tried to get it to pull up, but the Rheaird was still intent on meeting the ground at a speed that would turn Lloyd into a puddle. Just when he was about to jump off, (even though the fall would still probably kill him) he felt something grab him by the shoulders and yank upwards, lifting Lloyd off the Rheaird. Lloyd watched as the vehicle crashed into a grassy field below, while he hung in the air, suspended by... something.

Or someone.

As he was slowly lowered to the ground, he looked up to see Kratos, his wings spread out behind him.

"Put me down!" Lloyd shouted.

"As you wish."

Lloyd was dropped onto the ground, landing with a yell, more from surprise than from pain.

"That was very reckless of you."

Lloyd looked up at Kratos, who had spoken. He had landed, had his arms crossed, and was in lecture-mode. "You could have easily been severely wounded or killed in that kind of crash. Take care when flying next time."

"Y-you!" Lloyd stumbled to his feet, clumsily trying to draw his swords. Kratos was unimpressed.

"Why do you care anyway?" Lloyd shouted finally, "Why did you save me? You're with Cruxis, right? Wouldn't you be happy to just let me crash?"

Kratos said nothing. Instead, to keep his status as 'total enigma', he just spread his wings again, and flew away.

Lloyd stamped his foot in annoyance, "Someday I'll figure that guy out..." he vowed.

"Lloyd!"

The boy saw his friends running up to him. They had seen Kratos fly after Lloyd at very high speed, looking unusually panicked. They wanted to make sure that the crash hadn't hurt Lloyd, and that Kratos didn't hurt him.

"Oh Lloyd, are you okay?" chirped Colette, "Are you hurt?"

Lloyd shook his head, "I'm fine."

"Did Kratos hurt you?" asked Raine, casting a suspicious glance in the direction the seraph had flown off in.

Lloyd shook his head again, "No, I'm fine."

This seemed to satisfy her, "Good," she said, "Then I can punish you for flying recklessly."

It was the smack heard 'round the world.


End file.
